hotels

After receiving an endorsement from the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council (HTC) for his long-shot presidential campaign in June, Mayor Bill de Blasio has asked the city’s planning council to look into the process for implementing a city-wide special permit for hotel development, as Crain’s first reported. If adopted, new hotel projects throughout the five boroughs would have to undergo the city’s land-use review process, ULURP—something that the HTC has long advocated for.

New York City could make hostels legal under a bill, set to be introduced this week in the City Council, that would permit the super-budget accommodations to operate again after a state law made them illegal, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bill would provide hostels with their own separate department and classification under city law. The city’s hostels all but disappeared after a 2010 law covering multiple dwellings took aim at short-term rentals.

The 2010 legislation that forbids some properties from being listed on sites like Airbnb–whole apartments without the original tenant present, for example–was just given more firepower. WSJ reports that both houses of the New York City legislature just passed a bill stating that advertisers of those illegal short term rentals could be smacked with fines of up to $7,500. According to Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored the bill with Staten Island Sen. Andrew Lanza, “This bill will clarify that if you engage in such renting, there will be stiff penalties.”

As the city’s war against Airbnb rages on, hotels and bed and breakfasts across the city continue to see their guest numbers drop. But the decrease isn’t necessarily due to the lower costs of Airbnb rentals (although we certainly wouldn’t discount it) but the fact that visitors to our fair city are looking for an authentic New York experience. DNA Info reports that new hotels across the city are looking to recreate the “real experience” of staying in New York by channelling a “more urban” atmosphere with cool perks—bars amongst them—that lure local residents within their towering walls to hang with their guests.

A 22-story limited-service hotel is gearing up to rise in Midtown at 4-6 West 37th Street. According to new building permits filed this past weekend, a 120-key 60,000 square-foot development will go up at the 4,200 square-foot lot situated between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

Controversial room-sharing startup Airbnb, one of the most visible players in what is being called the “sharing economy,” has recently awakened the innovation vs. regulation argument in all the usual ways–and a few new ones, including the accusation that these short-term rentals are depleting the already-scarce affordable housing stock in pricey metro areas like San Francisco and New York City.

A Floating Hotel in Rockaway: Take a snooze on the Truck-A-Float, a platform of four floating sleeping pods made from old car parts in Queens. Check out the details on how to book a stay on Cool Hunting.

An Entire 3D-Printed Estate: Proving that the possibilities of 3D printing are endless, Inhabitat reports that one architect plans to 3D-print an estate with a pool and 2,400-sq-ft home in Gardiner, New York.

As New Yorkers we love to think of ourselves as original and cutting edge, but there’s no denying that many of us have a soft spot for things that harken back to gentler times. In a sea of towers and shiny new boutiques, Williamsburg‘s newest hotel addition bucks the steel and glass trend for a beautiful Adirondack design that will appeal to even the most unwavering modernist.

If you’re looking for an oasis in this concrete jungle of ours, look no further than the Urban Cowboy Bed & Breakfast, a ranch-style escape sure to turn any city dweller into a cowboy complete with a twang.